Elsevier

The Journal of Nutrition

Volume 135, Issue 2, February 2005, Pages 218-222
The Journal of Nutrition

Community and International Nutrition
Subclinical Vitamin D Deficiency Is Increased in Adolescent Girls Who Wear Concealing Clothing1

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Abstract

Vitamin D deficiency continues to be a worldwide problem, especially in developing countries. The aim of this study was to investigate potential risk factors for vitamin D deficiency. Girls (n = 89) aged 13 to 17 y were enrolled in the study. Study subjects were stratified into 3 groups: Group I included girls living in a suburban area; Group II girls lived in an urban area, and Group III girls lived in an urban area and wore concealing clothes for religious reasons. At the end of winter (in April) serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] levels were measured and dietary data were collected using questionnaires. Vitamin D deficiency was defined as a serum 25(OH)D concentration < 25 nmol/L, and insufficiency as a 25(OH)D concentration between 25 and 50 nmol/L. The lumbar and femur neck bone mineral densities (BMD) were measured using dual X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA). Overall, 39 girls (43.8%) had vitamin D insufficiency and 19 (21.3%) had vitamin D deficiency. In group III (wearing covered dress) the serum 25(OH)D concentrations (28.13 ± 12.53 nmol/L) were significantly lower than in the other 2 groups, and within this group, 50% of girls were vitamin D deficient. The lumbar and femur neck BMD of girls with lower 25(OH)D levels did not differ from those with adequate vitamin D levels. We conclude that vitamin D deficiency is an important problem in Turkish adolescent girls, especially in those who follow a religious dress code; therefore, vitamin D supplementation appears to be necessary for adolescent girls.

Key words

vitamin D deficiency
adolescent girls
bone density

Abbreviations

ALP
alkaline phosphatase
aBMD
areal bone mineral density
BA
bone area
BMC
bone mineral content
BMD
bone mineral density
DEXA
dual X-ray absorptiometry
i PTH
intact parathyroid hormone
SES
socioeconomic status
25(OH)D
25-hydroxyvitamin D

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1

Presented as an oral presentation at the Turkish National Pediatric Meeting in Kapadokya, 2002 and as a poster presentation at the 42nd Annual Meeting of The European Society for Paediatric Endocrinology, 18–21 September 2003, Ljubljana, Slovenia (Islam, O., Hatun, S., Babaoglu, K., Cizmecoglu, F. & Gökalp, A. S. Vitamin D deficiency and risk factors in adolescent girls).

4

National dietary references. Unpublished document, 2002. Hacettepe University Nutrition and Diet Department, Ankara, Turkey.